European Union defense and foreign ministers, along with officials from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations, met in Slovenia on September 2 to discuss the EU’s need for a combined military force. “It’s clear that the need for more European defense has never been … as evident as today after the events in Afghanistan,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said before the meeting.

This push for military reunification is something the Trumpet has watched for decades, but Europe lacked the pressure to make it reality. The Afghanistan crisis, however, has rekindled talks about a united European army. United States resistance against such unity has eroded. And Europe is increasingly recognizing the need to defend itself.

“In my view, we do not need another such geopolitical event to grasp that the EU must strive for greater decision-making autonomy and greater capacity for action in the world,” EU Council President Charles Michel said on September 1.

“The strategic situation, the geo-strategic changes, show that now we need a stronger Europe,” Claudio Graziano, chairman of the EU military committee, said. “The situation in Afghanistan, Libya, Middle East, Sahel, show that now it’s the time to act starting with the creation of a rapid European entry force able to show the will of the European Union to act as a global strategic partner. When if not now? Later would be late.”

Europe sees the danger in the Middle East and knows that if the crises remain unchecked they will directly affect the Continent. But the EU lacks clear leadership and needs consensus. abc News wrote: “European countries on the border with Russia often oppose the idea of autonomy, for instance Poland and the Baltic nations. EU heavyweight Germany is also a strong supporter of using nato for security operations and keeping the U.S. defense umbrella in Europe.”

To deal with the differing opinions, many have demanded the formation of a “core Europe” that agrees to pursue common goals separate from the rest of the union. At the meeting of EU ministers, German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer called for “coalitions of the willing,” or groups of EU states willing to pool their military forces.

The possibility that some EU countries are moving ahead on certain issues has, in years past, been a divisive topic. French President Emmanuel Macron’s demands for more urgency on this issue have often been met with silence in Germany. But as the dangers increase, reservations are waning.

In “Making Europe More Capable of Action,” Armin Laschet, chancellor candidate of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union, promoted an EU security union. He wrote for Handesblatt (Trumpet translation throughout):

In order to increase the unity of the EU in foreign and security policy issues, the majority principle is needed, which increases the ability to act and of implementation with competence. With such a foreign and security policy, core Europe should not act exclusively but should integrate those states whose security interests are particularly affected, such as nato’s eastern flank. The basis for all this must be the creation of a new strategic compass for Europe and a joint definition of foreign and security policy interests between the European Union and the United States with clear and realistic goals. This European approach deliberately includes Great Britain.

Not only Europe, but also Germany must become more strategic in its foreign policy. We therefore want to establish a National Security Council in the next German government. It should ensure that we do not just react in foreign and security policy, but act to shape it. And it must also help to ensure that Germany becomes a driver for stronger and more strategic EU foreign and security policy engagement.

Similar calls have been made over the decades. But previously, the U.S. opposed such proposals. During the Clinton administration, U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen warned that nato could become “a relic of the past” should the EU get its rapid reaction force. Similarly, the U.S. has warned about Europe developing its own independent armed forces. But over the years this resistance has eroded.

America’s withdrawal from the world scene is giving Europe the urgency it needs to implement these ideas. “There are events that catalyze the history,” Borrell said. “Sometimes something happens that pushes the history, it creates a breakthrough, and I think the Afghanistan events of this summer are one of these cases.”

This development is exactly what the Trumpet has warned would happen, based on Bible prophecy. “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over” (Daniel 11:40).

This prophecy describes a power in the Middle East pushing Europe to action! Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry explains in his free booklet The King of the South that this refers to a German-led Europe and radical Islam, led by Iran. For all terrorist organizations and regimes, Iran houses the most influential leaders and religious class. Terrorists around the world are influenced by Iran’s ideology or are directly funded by the regime. Iran is the Middle East’s primary troublemaker. Crises in the Middle East concern Germany greatly.

Radical Islam is pushing Europe toward a strong military response. As Borrell noted, history is full of examples that show how events have provided catalysts for enormous change. One of these examples is the events that followed an attempted Muslim invasion of Europe in the eighth century. In a.d. 732, Charles Martel defeated the invading Muslim armies of Abdul Rahman al-Ghafiqi that approached Europe through Spain. “Following Martel’s victory in the Battle of Tours-Poitiers, the Vatican hailed Charles as the savior of Christendom,” theTrumpet.com managing editor Brad Macdonald writes in The Holy Roman Empire in Prophecy. It was Charles’s grandson who united Europe under the rule of the Catholic Church and became known as Charlemagne.

The imminent threat of a Muslim invasion caused Europe to unite militarily and politically. We are seeing similar events happen again. The Bible warns, however, that the situation in our nuclear age will escalate in a dramatic way. The Bible not only reveals what is going to happen but also why. There is a reason God recorded prophecies millenniums ago that are now being fulfilled. Request a free copy of The King of the South, by Gerald Flurry, and read his article “A Day of Hope” to learn the incredible hope contained within these Bible prophecies.